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| Beijing's 3 million registered cars have roiled efforts to tackle pollution. Claro Cortes IV/Reuters |
Beijing smog clouds Olympic forecast
June's blue-sky tallies were the worst in seven years, but officials promise clear days for the Games.
from the August 8, 2007 edition
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Still, says Gilbert Van Kerckhove, a consultant to BOCOG, "I see very little progress [on air pollution]. The situation is very ugly." But, he adds, "during the Olympics, no problem. They'll stop everything for three months, the sky will clear up, and there will be no pollution."
While predictions of clear skies may seem at odds with reality, Beijing and other cities are beginning to turn the corner on air pollution, argues David Dollar, country director of the World Bank, which is funding a slew of environmental projects in China. Sulfur emissions, which used to darken the air during much of the year, have fallen sharply over the past decade as urban households have switched from coal to gas for heating and cooking.
At the same time, though, auto emissions have climbed as more Chinese take to the roads. Beijing has 3 million registered cars, a number expected to reach 3.3 million by next August.
Mr. Dollar says that surveys indicate that urban residents are increasingly willing to bear the cost of tackling pollution amid rising concern over its impact. A joint study by the World Bank and China's Environmental Protection Agency recently estimated that the health costs associated with air pollution were equivalent to 3.8 percent of China's GDP, or $76 billion.
"The Olympics is a one-time event, and it's important. But air and water issues are much bigger than the Olympics," he says.
Some of Beijing's summer smog is seasonal, say experts, stoked by southerly winds and tamped down by fog. Emissions from nearby provinces with heavy industry and coal mines add to the problem. The Olympics construction boom, which should wind down by the end of the year, is also adding dust and grit to the mix. Nearly 10,000 construction sites dot the city, according to state media.
Still, the drive by Beijing's urban planners to promote mass transit over private vehicles is yielding some success, claims Mr. Liang.
One example is a fleet of new buses run on cleaner fuel that cut through traffic along dedicated lanes. Adding fast buses should encourage commuters to leave their cars at home, particularly when the cost of driving is on the rise because of higher gas prices and parking charges. "I don't drive much now. I take the bus. It's cheaper," he says.
Then there's the electric bicycle, a zippier version of the sturdy two-wheeler that once defined mobility in China. "If families go by electric bike, they can travel fast, and they won't buy a car," says Liang.
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